Part 5: Preparing for 2025-26’s Title Defence
Two summers ago, Liverpool rebuilt an aging, misfiring midfield and that group was key to 2024-25’s title push. By comparison last summer was quiet, though, and with manager Arne Slot and sporting director Richard Hughes now having had a year to settle, quiet won’t cut it in 2025 as the 20 time league champions from Liverpool prepare to mount a title defence.
There have been some very promising early signs on that front, and deals for Jeremie Frimpong, Florian Wirtz, and Milos Kerkez all appear well advanced, but the work isn’t done yet. So we wanted to put our heads together at TLO towers to figure out what we think the Reds need to mount a convincing title defence in 2025-26 while pushing ahead in other competitions.
Gabe
Arne Slot stormed his way to a Premier League title with a strong and settled squad he inherited from Jürgen Klopp. Now, Slot gets to really mold the squad into his image as he works with Richard Hughes and the recruitment team. While the squad is still strong, there are definitely some needs: starting caliber players at both fullback positions, depth at holding midfield, and figuring out what Slot is looking for in a central striker.
Depth at centre back is probably on the docket as well, especially if talks with Ibrahima Konaté over a contract extension don’t start advancing soon. Beyond that, though, the early news is all extremely positive, with Jeremie Frimpong having already passed a physical to fill the right back role, and the likes of Milos Kerkez and Florian Wirz reported to be deals in the works for left back and the attack respectively. Let’s hope those and any deals get done quickly and with a minimum of drama.
FC Bayern Muenchen v Bayer 04 Leverkusen - UEFA Champions League Leverkusen duo Jeremie Frimpong and Florian Wirtz are expected to join Liverpool
Photo by Jörg Schüler/Bayer 04 Leverkusen via Getty Images
Steph
I really think we had the element of surprise on our side this season. No one really expected us to do so well. No one expected us not to have a precipitous drop off in the second half of the season (though obviously we did drop off, just not enough for it to matter with everyone else in the title race also dropping off). Our injury record was also pretty clean compared to other teams.
I think that now Slot has had a season to find his feet, it will be interesting to see how this transfer window goes as he looks to mold the team into what he wants. I think we can’t rely on Manchester City having another shit season, even if they will likely be in a rebuild. It does look like the club is being proactive in the market at the moment, but I don’t trust that those deals are done until the ink is dry.
Jordan
I think the obvious thing that needs to happen for a strong title defence is that Arne needs to be a little more flexible with rotations, and if that means getting in more players he trusts to rotate then we need to get that done. It was clear to even the casual supporters that the squad started to lose steam in the spring because they’d been run into the ground.
Every opposing manager talks about the strength of our bench, so to see Slot not have the same trust in them Jürgen Klopp had was frustrating at times. I hope Slot utilizes the likes of Endo and Elliott better if they’re still around next season. We’ll need those sorts of players if we expect to not just defend that league title but to also challenge in the cups next season (which I think is everyone’s expectation).
I don’t usually get excited about transfers until I see them play in Red, so while the news around a few of our allegedly impending signings is intriguing, I’ll be ready when we see how they fit into the squad. I understand we do have some holes we need to fill, and while there are promising prospects on the horizon, I hate to go back to the age-old question of who is willing to sit on the bench and who just wants to find playing time. I expect to see a couple of younger players go out on loan, a group that could include Jarell Quansah if we bring in a centre half, but regardless the specifics I think having a stronger, deeper squad (that Slot trusts) can only benefit us in the future.
Dexian
The big name transfer targets have been pretty well discussed, but having just four (Grav, Mac, Szobo, Jones) midfielders that we could turn to was pretty crazy and we looked understandably fatigued during February and March. Gravenberch played like two seasons worth of minutes. Hopefully, we’ll be able to add another contributor to the group.
Manchester City FC v AFC Bournemouth - Premier League Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez is Liverpool’s top left back target
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images
Noel
The last time Liverpool won the league, a lot of people were critical of the club not doing enough to add from a position of strength. This time around, it doesn’t appear that anyone will able to level that sort of criticism with Jeremie Frimpong, Florian Wirtz, and Milos Kerkez all looking various stages of almost done—plus plenty of chatter around other possible targets.
If I can go off on a bit of a tangent, though, I think throwing our weight around in the market this summer might have less to do with adding from a position of strength and more to do with a significant uptick in the chaos, dysfunction, and poor results on display amongst the Premier League’s other top clubs. Arsenal will strengthen, but they’ve also just finished year six of the Mikel Arteta experience and are yet to show they can get over the final hump. And they’re the title opponent in best shape.
Meanwhile, Manchester City may have all the money in the world but they’re in need of basically a full rebuild—and a boatload signings are never guaranteed to work out no matter how much money you have. Plus there are question marks around how much longer Pep Guardiola is going to stick around. And one of these days maybe we’ll even find out if they’re going to face any punishment for years of financial doping. So they’re the title opponent in the next best shape.
Then you’ve got Chelsea, embarked on Todd Bohley’s wild nine-year-contract ride and flirting with financial fair play disaster that still looks a stroke of genius one week and a stroke of stupidity the next. Then you’ve got Manchester United and Tottenham, who in case you’ve somehow forgot finished the season 16th and 17th, with United in particular facing a nightmarish financial crunch due to missing out on Europe.
For the Reds, spending big last time around would have been spending big to try to keep up with a fit, firing, and in-form City. Spending big this time is about rising above the chaos, dysfunction, and poor results afflicting everyone else to some degree. The future is never certain, but this looks like a chance for Liverpool to maybe separate from the pack. That can also open pathways to signings—as with Wirtz—that might have been a lot more difficult in past summers. I think that’s why the club look like they’re making some very big moves this summer, and with that in mind and how good a track record they have in recruitment, it’s very, very exciting.